Class 1 – Emaan

Class 1

‘Introduction To Emaan’

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His assistance. We ask for his forgiveness and take refuge in Him from the evil within ourselves and from the evil of our deeds. He whom Allah guides will never be diverted yet whomever He sends astray will never find his way. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, He has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.

The source of all evil is the deviation from truth and its straight path. The goodness of all matters is the following of truth and adherence to its right way. Truth is the fixed state in which Allah has created His creation. No created being in the world has been created by other than Allah. He, Alone, has created everything in this world. Allah has created every creature in a particular way and managed its affair in a certain manner. Allah is Perfect and exempt from any deficiency or error. – Goodness is in His Creation and Management. Anything which deviates from Allah’s way and management is bound to be ruined. Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth and wisdom. They are both useful by His creation and management.

Allah says

“Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both would have been ruined” (Anbiya,22)

Man is one of Allah’s creatures. The goodness of his life depends on his knowledge of truth and on following this truth. Its corruption is the result of his ignorance of the truth, or his disobedience to it, though he may know it.

Allah is the Truth, from Him comes the truth and His commands and management are the truth. The cause of the corruption of humanity originates from disbelief in Allah, the Creator, from disbelief in His commands and management and from disbelief in the Truth which He revealed. The cause of the goodness of this life originates from the belief in Allah , the belief in the Qur’an and obedience of His commands and will.

Allah  says: 

“Whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. But whoever turns away from My Reminder (That is, neither believes in this Qur’an nor acts on its orders) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection)” (Ta Ha,123-124)

Nobody follows Allah’s guidance except those who believe in Him, remember Him, feel His presence, attributes and His Greatness. Those who forget to remember Allah are misguided. Man is tried in this world by two things. First, remembering Allah and following His guidance. Second, forgetting Him and going astray. Man is at a crossroads. A road of belief, guidance and happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. A road of disbelief, misguidance and misery in this world and in the Hereafter.

Accordingly, the most noble knowledge a man can learn and teach to others is the basis of belief (Eemaan) and its requirements. The best precautionary measures he can protect himself with is the knowledge of the characteristics of disbelief (Kufr), its causes and exigencies. If man has insight into these two important things, he will know the way of his happiness and follow it, and avoid the way of his misery.

In this course, we hope to elucidate the pillars of Eemaan and what causes it to increase or decrease. Allah  is the One who guides us to truth. If we do right, it is only from Allah, the Truth. If we err, its only from ourselves and from Satan. We ask Allah to forgive us.

Imaan

Al-imaan in the language means at-tasdeequl- jaazim (definite affirmation) which is accompanied by faith and not affected by doubt. So it is said aamana lahu – meaning, ‘he believed him’.

As for eemaan (true faith) in the legislation then it is: belief of the heart and expression upon the tongue and action upon the limbs. It increases with obedience and it decreases with disobedience. It will not be eemaan except with these things combined.

Deen of Islam

Islaam is the Deen which Allaah has sent Muhammad ﷺ with; Allaah made it the last of religions and made it a perfection and a completion of His Favours upon creation, and chose it to be the creation’s Deen; No other religion is accepted from anyone except the Deen of Islaam. Allaah, says:

  • Muhammad (ﷺ) is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allaah, and the Last (end) of the Prophets. (Qur’aan 33:40).
  • This day, I have perfected your religion for you, and completed my Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Al-Islaam as your Deen. (Qur’aan 5:3)

The Deen of Islaam embraces all of the human welfare that is comprised in the previous religions; it is distinguished above all religions in its suitability for all times, places, and nations. Allaah addresses His Messenger ﷺ Saying:

 “And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad ) the Book (this Qur’aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Muhayminan (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scripture)”. (Qur’aan 5: 48).

The suitability of the Deen means that adhering to Islaam does not contradict the welfare of the Ummah (Muslim community at large) in any place or in any time. Indeed it is its betterment and thriving. This does not mean, however, that the Deen is subjugate to every time, place, and Ummah as some people like it to be.

The Deen of Islaam is ‘Aqeedah (Creed) and Sharee’ah (Legislation), and it is perfect in both. Islaam commands:

  • The Tawheed and forbids Shirk (setting associates with Allaah).
  • Truthfulness, and forbids lying.
  • Justice, and forbids oppression.
  • Trustworthiness, and forbids treachery.
  • Faithfulness, and forbids betrayal.
  • To be good and dutiful to one’s parents, and forbids being disrespectful to them.
  • To keep relations with kinship, and forbids severing the ties with them.
  • To have good relations with one’s neighborhood, and forbids all forms of ill treatment to the neighbors.

Generally speaking, Islaam commands all noble morals, and forbids all ill and despicable manners; it also commands righteousness and forbids wrong. Allaah says: “Verily, Allaah enjoins Al-’Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allaah) and ‘Al-Ihsaan, and giving help to kith and kin, and forbids Al-Fahshaa’ (all evil deeds), Al-Munkar (prohibitions, disbelief), and Al-Baghy (all kinds of oppression).” (Qur’aan 16:90). 

Difference between Islam & Imaan

The difference between Islam and eeman is one of the issues that the scholars have discussed at length in the books on ‘aqeedah (belief). To sum up what they stated concerning that: if one of these two terms is mentioned on its own, then what is meant is the entire religion of Islam, in which case there is no difference between Islam and eemaan.

But if these two terms are mentioned together in a single context, then what is meant by eemaan (faith) is inward deeds, which are actions of the heart, such as belief in Allah, may He be exalted, loving Him, fearing Him, putting one’s hope in Him, may He be glorified and exalted, and being sincere to Him alone.

As for Islam, what is meant thereby is outward actions that may be accompanied by faith in the heart, or they may not, in which case the doer is a hypocrite or a Muslim whose faith is weak.

THE BASIS OF FAITH (IMAAN)

Allah the Glorious & Exalted, said:

“The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers; We make no difference between any of His messengers; and they say: We hear and obey, our Lord! Thy forgiveness (do we crave), and to Thee is the eventual course.” (2: 285)

Allah also says:

  • “O you who believe! believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book which He has revealed to His Messenger and the Book which He revealed before; and whoever disbelieves in Allah and His angels and His messengers and the last day, he indeed strays off into a remote error.” (4: 136)
  • {It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets,..}(2: 177)

When the Angel Jibreel came to the Prophet ﷺ disguised as a Bedouin and asked him about Islam, Eemaan (Faith)  & Ihsaan, the Prophet ﷺ said about faith: “(It means) the belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers & the Last Day; and belief in Al-Qadaa’ wal Qadar (Divine Preordainment) good or bad”.

(Narrated by Imam Muslim on the authority of Umar Ibnu al-Khattaab, in Sahih Muslim)

(Al- Bukhari narrated the same Hadith on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, in Sahih Bukhari)

So there are 6 pillars of Imaan

  • To believe in Allah.
  • His Angels
  • His Books
  • His messengers
  • The Last Day &
  • Qadar (Preordainment)

 ‘We will InShaAllah get into the Details of each one through this course in the upcoming classes. Also will look into causes of weak faith & how to strengthen it and what invalidates imaan.



TIPS OF TEST

  1. Do not have to memorise the ayahs or hadeeths word for word and their references, but remember their meanings and the msg being given.
  2. Remember the the description and pillars of imaan.